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Nicolas Van Atta
Appearance Nicolas is a handsome Svadan man who is the definition of looks can be deceiving. He has fairly pale skin, grey eyes with catlike pupils, along with a mole underneath his left eye, he is almost always cleanly shaven and his hair is usually either well-kept or unkempt completely. He's a tall and muscular but lean man as he doesn't train his body for strength but more for endurance and flexibility. Nicolas dresses in whatever fits the occasion and he loves dressing in over-exuberant clothes that leads people to think the wrong idea about him, which is exactly what he wants. In public, he normally wears a beige tailcoat that's collar is covered in fur and well as matching pants to go along with. He also wears black, knee-high leather boots and black leather vest hidden underneath his tailcoat that has six small knife slots and two holsters for his pistols. He also is usually seen wearing a large top-hat that adds even more eccentricity to his character. Wearing this outfit, he's often seen walking around with a cane that is tipped in gold. Although when he's on a job or in a more private setting, Nicolas can be seen dressed in hooded long-sleeved, robe-like tunic that's color depends on which island he is on. When out at sea it's usually a light slate grey as that is the standard color for those issued to the hunters of his homeland. Above it, he wears a bandolier that carries many throwing knife slots, ammunition, his repeater and a blowgun. When dressed in this outfit he also wears a set of goggles with a face mask to conceal his identity. Personality Nicolas is a charismatic man who loves to play around and enjoy himself in everything he does. He's often seen with a smile on his face and loves the process of getting to know the other people around him. At face value, one could call him a people person and very likable guy...something that could be said of most Svadans. However underneath that mask he wears in public in front of others, Nicolas is a careful but bored man who's only constantly on the search of looking for more ways to have fun besides the typical things that the common man enjoys (drinking, sexy times, drugs, all of that crap). His current obsession is sailing across the world to find the most beautiful, sacred, and valuable things to only admire them for a few moments before taking them to destroy/kill them. He calls himself a "Special Kind of Treasure Hunter" and finds more value in the process of finding the said treasures instead of the treasures themselves. Nicolas isn't a evil man nor does he does this with malicious intent, he just finds an odd joy in doing it like how a child would. Being a Svadan, Nicolas carries a lot of their morals with him on his trips to the other lands making him a very odd pirate. He only kills when necessary but he finds it much more amusing to just disable someone instead of doing the former. Being raised how he was, Nicolas will almost all the time avoid direct confrontations and will try his best to talk his way out of a seemingly sketchy or threatening situation. In most scenarios, he's the first one to disappear when things start to look hairy. But that doesn't mean he isn't able to hold his own, he's very efficient in ending a scuffle quickly using the skills he learned in New Svada. In his free time, he mainly just likes to enjoy the view of the world around him either by himself or with a friend. He usually likes to venture up to one of the highest points on an island and lie there peacefully as he thinks of other ways to have his fun or he can just be seen somewhere casually playing with his magic. He's the type of person you would like to have on your side but in return someone who you do not want to be on the bad side of. Nicolas is not the type of person to get mad but he can be very cruel if you push his buttons or he has you labeled as a "problem". He's very good towards his friends but he keeps them at a distance as he has a mutual distrust for everyone, it is something that he was taught to have against outsiders while he was raised. History History Outline (Will provide proper format and descriptions later): * Begun training (basics of sneaking and hiding) at age 6, his parents being his mentors. * Firearm and more combat-related training at age 9. * Multiple periods of being sent to juvenile detention for various misdemeanors. * Started studying Nature Magic at age 11. * Killed his first person at age 12, who was an Outsider who had came to the mainland to map the area for their island. * Almost got killed being caught in the crossfire of a skirmish between two outside factions. * Went on his first voyage at age 14 with a crew of Svadan Privateers. * Became fascinated with seeing the rest of the world and it's treasures since that day. * Snuck aboard another Privateer ship after braving a dangerous run through a tundra occupied by an Outside faction in the middle of a blizzard. * Started his work officially as a Mercenary/Treasure Hunter at age 16. * Part of a heist known as the "Rautha Screwjob" at age 19, the end result being with him making off with little riches from the initial load of valuables him and the mercenary group had stolen. He was also marooned from a naval battle that ensued afterwards as one of the participants had tipped off the people that him and the group had stolen from. Nicolas being one of the four mercenaries that managed to get away with their lives and some compensation. * He spent the entire year afterwards laying low and doing many odd jobs and illegal activities until he made enough money to buy new equipment. * Joined a pirate crew of bandits from multiple islands. * Came across his current obsession of finding and destroying the world's most valuable treasures. * Returned to New Svada with the pirate crew to recruit more members at age 21. * Soon became the Co-Captain of the pirate crew and helped turn them into a more professional mercenary group, the crew soon began their own fleet known as "The Silver Barracudas". The merc group tries their best to mainly handle legal jobs but the illegal ones always find them because of their efficiency. Inventory * A twin pair of Dirk daggers made of gold * Lockpicking tools * 6 throwing knives (13 if he's wearing his bandolier) * Two pistols * A Scoped Flintlock Repeater * A single blowgun * A pair of goggles * A Spyglass * Hunter's Pack (Poison Vials, Antidotes, bandages, etc.) * Pistol/Rifle Ammunition * A Gold Coin that he always keeps on him * A pocket watch * A compass Abilities/Skills * 'Expert Thief: '''Being a Svadan, Nicolas is a very skilled pickpocket and knows his way around many locks and doors. His thievery was self-taught as he learned it from the many times he would be thrown in the juvenile prison for stealing food and jewelry. He has no problem finding a way in somewhere and he has no problem finding a way out. Because of his skills in thievery/stealth, he was often hired discreetly by many government representatives as someone to go scout out an area and check to see if the coast was clear. Although he has plenty of his own money to spend, Nicolas is cheap and will often pickpocket someone to avoid paying for something himself and/or steal their valuables to then pawn them for more monetary gain. * '''Skilled with small blades/shortswords: '''Niko's swordplay is exceptional when he's using knives or daggers, but not so much with larger swords (longswords, claymores, broadswords, etc.). He fights usually dual-wielding his two golden Dirk Daggers, two daggers that he stole from a merchant on Ruatha. The way he fights relies heavily on dodging and parrying blows swung by his opponent, then counter-attacking by striking at critical points to disable his opponent. He will even use his throwing knives as close range weapons in the event he should be disarmed. He learned this style of fighting from training with his older sister and father as his younger brother was more interested in learning how to use the longsword and similar swords. * '''Proficient Marksman: '''He's also fairly proficient in the use of firearms (usually small), blowguns, and even the bow & arrow. His ranged weapon of choice is his Scoped Flintlock Repeater, the standard issue firearm in his homeland. He only carries it on specific jobs and he tries to avoid being seen carrying it in general as the weapon will give away what type of person he is and what he does. He was first taught to use small firearms at age 9 by his mother and was taught to use the Repeater and Bow & Arrow at age 12 by his father. * '''Skilled Acrobat: '''Because it is a mandatory skill that all aspiring Svadan hunters and mercenaries must learn before they're approved, Nicolas is quite skilled with free-running and acrobatics and has excellent stamina for doing so. He's learned how to do most of it from free-running through the frozen wilderness with his peers as they usually had races, played extreme games of tag, and hunted small animals like rabbits. * '''Knowledge of Nature Magic: '''Nicolas is not really interested in magic but he knows just enough for it to be useful to him. Unlike how the rest of his race usually revere magic and call it a blessing from God, Nicolas only sees magic as one thing: just another tool. He's only extensively studied Nature Magic because Nicolas himself is fond of Nature and calls it "the most forgiving magic". Another reason why he doesn't really care about magic is because he sees most magic as a curse instead of a blessing. He was taught by his older sister some things about Life Magic but Nicolas has a disdain for it as well calling it "cheating" and "something only those who suck at their jobs would rely on". In Nature Magic, he has only Adept-Level knowledge in wind and water as he finds them the most useful and they're the most abundant in his homeland. These skills involve him manipulating wind to cause thrown objects to fly incredible distances at the speed of bullets and grant himself temporary "flight", and he can freeze and control water to an extent. * '''Adept Hunter/Survivalist: '''Because of the harsh environment of New Svada and because some of his jobs have had unfortunate circumstances in to which he had to survive on a lack of supplies until contact came or he found civilization until the time window expired for his current mission, Nicolas knows how to survive when the shit hits the fan. He even survived being marooned from a naval battle from floating on a plank to shore. In which then, he survived by constantly hunting small animals and fishing seafood until he was able to get to civilization and restock on equipment (mainly by stealing). ''This can range from physical skills or special traits, special training or fighting styles, mystical abilities or qualities. This section will be heavily examined by a mod for approval. Please include drawbacks to magical abilities. Additional description if needed. Additional description if needed. Weaknesses * Despite his rather high moral standards, Nicolas believes killing is perfectly fine as long as you have a good justification/excuse...though he feels that rule doesn't apply to him, at least not all of it. * Despite him training his body for endurance and keeping it in top condition, Nicolas is not the most physically strong man around (also given by how his body weight is rather low). He sacrificed obtaining top strength in exchange for flexibility, speed, and maneuverability. However, these body characteristics are common upon the people of his race. * He also carries around a "I'm better than you..." attitude and he's also a bit of a racist, this is seen on how he often calls non-Svadans "mongrels" or "dirty people". He will do this unless a person gives him a reason to believe otherwise. * Because he's lived in a land of ice for most of his life, Nicolas is prone to get sick easily in hotter/humid atmospheres and hates deserts with a passion (he will absolutely avoid any job in a desert-like area unless it pays exceptionally well). He will often wear a scarf around his face and neck to protect himself from directly inhaling air that could make him sick. * Nicolas stays away from both alcohol and drugs because his body seriously can't handle it, he's the worst lightweight one would ever see and will often turn down drinks for his own safety. He once almost got alcohol poisoning from drinking a 5th of Rum and he will puke after drinking a pitcher of beer. * He fears prolonged exposure to sunlight, he doesn't like traveling about through the day and will even go out his way to avoid doing it. * He's also has a phobia of monkeys, calling them "ugly" and "creepy" and will not hesitate to kill one as a reflex if it gets too close. * He hates it and gets really anxious when there's too many people talking at once, he once killed someone on accident because four people talking to him at once was starting to drive him crazy. Other Whatever you want to include.